The Perfect Birthday
by heka
Summary: Riku's a business woman down in the dumps and her mad sister's not really helping but maybe that guy there might... Chapter 4 up... finally.
1. Chapter 1

Heka is very naughty. Currently she has two stories that she hasn't finished yet, and here she is, starting a new one. However, Heka promises that after her O Levels, she will be on a writing spree and finish up all her wonderful Dark X Riku stories, and finally be A Great Member of the Secret Society of the Dark X Riku Clan!

Shigure: There isn't such a Clan anyway.

Heka: You lie!

Dark: Ooohh there's a Secret Clan dedicated to ME! And Riku!

Shigure: You should NOT have said that.

Heka: Why?

Shigure: He'll be mooning about it for _weeks_…

(Another A.U. I think I'll be gravitating to them for now…)

Most love stories begin with a protagonist, usually down on his or her luck. Most love stories then have the protagonist meeting, by accident, the love of his or her life, who would amazingly pull the person right out of the deep dark hole that he or she had been in, and smile charmingly, and everything would be wonderful from then on.

Most love stories bank on that, knowing that the beloved public loves them.

Unfortunately, this love story, banks on that catch, knowing that the beloved public loves them to bits. This love story, as we all now know, involves two startlingly different characters who unwittingly complement each other so well that they, sadly, do not see it.

This love story hopes to change that concept.

**Title: The Perfect Birthday **

(Was supposed to be a songfic, based on Lifehouse's 'You and Me' but it blew up into a whole story and thus deserved its own space!)

**Chapter 1: Screw It **

Twenty-three years old Riku Harada believed that she was a strong woman. Riku Harada believed that she was tough and she could easily make any guy older or younger than her, cry with fear after thirty minutes of meeting with her in her office. Riku Harada also believed that she was the only person who could stand up to her twin sister, Risa's, nonsensical blabber and stop her from doing incredibly stupid things.

Twenty-three years old Riku Harada was also currently being dragged, blindfolded, to the newest bar and club by her deplorable twin sister and her annoying little friends in her uncomfortable business suit. Riku Harada felt disappointed with herself. Today wasn't exactly a good day. She had frowned so hard today during a business meeting that she felt that her eyebrows would never be the same again, and now after work when she thought she could truly relax and forget her problems in her little apartment… her sister had to turn up and ambush her with this completely idiotic idea.

What did she ever do to deserve this…?

'Risa… tell me again…' she started. Risa, her twin sister, immediately shushed her up, giggling mischievously.

'It's your birthday Riku! Don't spoil your surprise!'

'I know what my surprise is. You're bringing me to that new club called DNA or something, and making me drink myself drunk and then I'll embarrass myself in front of everybody by dancing to weird songs, and then you'll have pictures to prove it the next day, to blackmail me with,' Riku muttered dryly, still resisting the pull of the four women.

Risa laughed coyly. 'That was LAST year! And it was Halloween! And it wasn't a club! It was a hotel! And I don't have the pictures! I burnt them a long time ago!' Hopefully she hadn't lost that precious shoebox of hers, well hidden in the depths of her huge cupboard.

Hikaru Ayumi, one of the twins' good friends since middle school, tossed her black curls chuckled darkly, strengthening her grip on Riku's arm nonetheless. 'Nonsense. We'll do none of that this year. It's eight pm and you're twenty three and you stay at home on Friday nights! This means you don't have a life. We're going to give you one tonight!'

Riku's alarm bells started ringing frantically. They were ringing, humming more likely, just now but now…

'Risa, Risa! What do you mean!' she yelped, digging her heels into the concrete, begging to what God that was up there, that he would allow her heels to stick to the pavement. Please…

Her heel got stuck in the crumbling concrete. _Thank you!_ She thought gratefully, digging her heels in harder, just in case.

'Risa… Risa,' Riku began hopefully, her caramel hair slipping over the loosely tied blindfold as she bent down to touch her blessed heel. 'I can't go, my heel's stuck…'

Risa pushed her perfect brown hair back, never releasing her iron grip on her sister's lithe arm. Her eyes twinkling almost supernaturally, she smiled sinisterly at her twin. Even though she was blindfolded, the slight pause made Riku's Evil Sister Alarm Bell start to ring madly. She had this _really_ bad feeling about what was coming up…

'Don't be such a _wet_ blanket darling!' she smiled. As Riku was still bent down, blissfully minding her shoe, silently thanking all Gods that were present, Risa winked at all her other girlfriends, Eirotte Senes, Hikaru, and Rukia Inoue. All three smiled equally evil smiles, and as one, tugged hard at the hunched form that was Risa's reluctant sister.

Crack.

_Damn! _Riku thought frantically as she felt herself being slowly but inexplicitly dragged towards the dreaded club of Doom. Panicking, Riku appealed to the most sensible of the quartet.

'Eirotte! Please! Don't let them do this to me!' Riku pleaded anxiously, feeling the mess of hands around her before she finally located a hand with a leather bead bracelet on it. Eirotte was sensible but she had the kookiest taste, going for natural, leather items and dream catchers. Riku latched onto her hand, knowing that the bespectacled girl with beautiful brown curls would not leave her co-worker in distress.

This time however, Riku wasn't so lucky. Eirotte shook her head cheerfully. Riku couldn't see it but the words which came from Eirotte's mouth proved that Eirotte wasn't all sugar and everything nice.

'Nonsense, Riku! This is for your own good! We've all seen, especially your sister, how you've been working your bones off your hands… this will be good for you! Please listen to your sister then, and come along with us!' She added, forever the peace maker.

Riku growled. 'Thanks, Eirotte… To think I treat you like my own sister… traitor…' She was now hobbling along awkwardly, her blasted heel having deserted her for the loving concrete a few metres behind. _Damn all…_

Risa sniggered. 'Don't worry Eirotte, Riku will thank us after this… she'll find the perfect guy and then get happily married like me, and she'll _thank_ me on bended knee for finding that guy for her!'

However, behind her laughter, Risa was solemn. She knew that Riku needed this break. She had heard from Eirotte that Riku's own design company, the H&H Design Company, had not been doing very well recently. A greenhorn in the business world, Riku was undoubtedly beginning to feel the stress of being an entrepreneur, after a few months. Unable to think of anything to which would help her in her business, Risa had decided, after being blessedly married to her darling Satoshi Hiwatari, that her sister needed, no demanded a break.

'Heh. Hiwatari doesn't seem like the sort that you'd be _happily married _to…' Riku hissed, still trying hard to dig her remaining heel in whatever cement she could get her shoes into. Risa smiled, blushing slightly.

'Oh you'll never understand,' she laughed, tightening her grip, 'you single woman! You'll never understand how it'd be like, to wake up every morning and see the man you love right next to you… okay I'll stop.' She added, seeing her friends' disgruntled faces and Riku's gagging antics.

'Still,' Risa commandeered, steering the conversation back to much safer ground, 'Riku's tired and she needs a night for a break!'

And tonight would be that night, no matter what weak plan Riku came up with.

-/-

Riku, of course, wasn't thinking of her failing company, her immediate thoughts being on the fact that the rest of her peaceful Friday night would be spent with the Four Horse Women from Hell- For Your Own Good, Sheer Evil, Cold Logic and Insanity. She was going to _die_…

And she was going to die quickly, for Risa announced happily, 'We're almost there!'

Thinking quickly, Riku pretended to stumble, which wasn't that hard- walking on uneven shoes had that unpleasant effect. Her friends barrelled into her, all having such tight grips on her hands. In the ensuing screaming and screeching mess Riku broke free and kicked her shoes away, pulling down her blindfold and scrambling up, probably making the world record for sprinting in black stockings.

However, Risa was prepared for this. Nodding at Rukia, the second-most athletic girl within the group of them, she watched with pride as the petite girl with ebony hair broke into a run in her new Nike sport shoes and made a flying tackle on the fleeting image that was Riku.

'Aaarrggghhhh!'

Riku wanted to cry. She was so close! She was _this_ close to freedom… and then Rukia had to tackle her from the back, perhaps injuring her spine forever, and squashing her onto the cold pavement, bruising her chin.

'Damn you, Rukia! Damn you!' she yelled for the world to hear as they sprawled painfully on the ground, waiting for her sister, Hikaru and Eirotte to catch up. Rukia knew her orders- Do NOT Let Go Once In Contact With Target. Repeat: Do not Let Go Of Target.

Riku was on the verge of tears by the time the other women caught up. At least Eirotte had the decency to help her up and offer her tissue for her scrapped chin while her stupid sister praised Rukia for her magnificent catch. Hikaru checked Riku once over, and pronounced her fit to be dragged. Again.

Thus once again, Riku Harada was being dragged, blindfolded, by her deplorable sister and her irritating friends towards the newest club which graced the south side of Japan. This time however, she was slightly bruised, looking slightly worst for the wear and out of breath but still with enough breath left to curse ten thousand deaths upon her 'friends' who were bringing her to her doom.

'You guys have a grip like iron!' she snarled weakly in a bid to look fierce, after noticing that her wrists felt dreadfully raw where the other girls had grabbed her. Eirotte merely nodded but Riku did not see.

'Yes,' she said absent-mindedly. 'It was required…' No point telling Riku about the weeks of practice that they had to go through under Risa's tough regime to prepare for Riku's Birthday Surprise. The weight lifting, the wall climbing, just to improve their grips…

'And Rukia, where'd you learn to tackle like that…' Riku continued weakly, squirming rather uncomfortably now, knowing that her chances of escape were probably lower than the chances that a baby deer would escape a tiger's death bite.

The short girl replied simply, 'I've been… practising.'

'Okaaaaay,' Riku nodded. She really didn't want to know more.

Her thoughts were brought up short when Risa announced again, 'We're here!'

She was going to _die_….

-/Finished for now…/-

Shigure: Now say what you've done wrong.

Heka: Heka admits that she has stolen some names… from other anime. She has stolen Eirotte and Senes from Scrapped Princess, and Rukia and Inoue from Bleach. Heka also admits using the word 'Nike' in her story and thus claims that nothing here belongs to her, except the idea that Riku is an entrepreneur, and allergic to men in general.

Dark: Not to me, she isn't.

Riku: Oh yes, I am. I get hideously bad-tempered around you…

Heka: While Riku and Dark sort their differences…

Shigure: In more than one way…

Dark, Riku: Hey!

Heka: Please review? This idea came to her at night and thus is generally considered a very bad idea.


	2. Ohhic Dear

Author's Corner: Right hello again, thanks to my dear first reviewer- iMdr3AmInOfU! This story has engulfed my life; at the completely wrong time as this is err… one week before my O levels, four days before my Chinese O Levels and the last day of my Science Practicals. Right-O.

Still, I have to get this out as it will just rot out in me if I don't. Also I must say that I am the sort who writes first, thinks later and plans the last. So the first chapter was a Write-First thing, and subsequently, it became a Think-Later and now a Plan-Last.

I've did some minor changes, like bringing Riku's age up to twenty-three (she was originally twenty-one, goodness knows where _that_ came from.) and changing the title-

Shigure: Isn't that minor.

Author: Ahem. Right. Okay, A Big Change then. The title's no longer 'You and Me' even though it was inspired by Lifehouse's 'You and Me', it's now 'The Perfect Birthday', as it happened on Riku's birthday and all. Yes.

Dark: A Secret Clan! Wa hahahahax.

Shigure: I _told_ you so but nooo… you wouldn't listen…

Author: (Ignores Shigure and Dark) Also, I'll be recommending stories for Dark X Riku fans, at the end of every chapter. There isn't much out there anyway, so if you're a Dark X Riku fan like me, get out there and write one!

PS One of my beta readers said that Riku's reaction to going to the club was a _bit_ too over-dramatic. I say, as Riku did, you have a mad sister who's married and doesn't work. You have two friends who are nice but homicidally insane when it comes to birthdays. You have a scheming sister, as emphasized again. Who is very free, as said once more. Thus, ph34r t3h r15A!

This should go out into at least seven chapters, if planned correctly and I don't suddenly add in unexpected things…

Most love stories begin with a protagonist, usually down on his or her luck. Most love stories then have the protagonist meeting, by accident, the love of his or her life, who would amazingly pull the person right out of the deep dark hole that he or she had been in, and smile charmingly, and everything would be wonderful from then on.

Most love stories bank on that, knowing that the beloved public loves them.

Unfortunately, this love story, banks on that catch, knowing that the beloved public loves them to bits. This love story, as we all now know, involves two startlingly different characters who unwittingly complement each other so well that they, sadly, do not see it.

This love story hopes to change that concept.

**Title: The Perfect Birthday **

**Chapter II: Oh–hic-Dear **

'Tadaaaaaaahhh!'

Riku flicked her hair out of her face with a jerk of her head irritably. The blindfold was finally pulled off rather ceremoniously to reveal a dark three-storey high building, with the words 'DNA' scrawled in pink neon at the roof. The entrance of the so-called newest club was teeming with young men and women, all eager to enter the club and see what the all the hype about it had been about.

'This is Satoshi's newest investment,' Risa explained as the trio pulled Riku past the crowd, towards the grim-looking bouncer with biceps the size of cannonballs. Riku winced in pain. She had just realised that she was shoeless and wearing stockings, in a very dangerous environment where stomping was bound to take place.

Her mind made itself up.

'Wait Risa!' she called desperately. 'I can't go in without any shoes!'

Risa turned, tilted her and frowned. She knew her sister wouldn't lie to her intentionally when she knew that there was absolutely no hope of escape. Still, Riku wasn't one to give up…

'Yes, she can't go in like that. Everyone would just die of laughter and think we manhandled her in,' Hikaru noted, seeing that Riku looked definitely worst for wear, with her messed up hair, missing shoes and rumpled clothing. Riku shot her a piercing glare.

'They aren't so far from the truth anyway,' she growled, looking almost frightening. However the effect was mostly destroyed by a particularly insensitive young woman, who stepped on Riku's toes, contorting Riku's face into a mask of agony.

'Arggh,' she added, for effect but mostly for the pain. Risa sighed in defeat.

'Fine, fine, let's move over before another person kills Riku even before her birthday surprise…' The quartet moved out of the crowd, much to the relief of everyone else, and stood at one side, discussing Riku's wardrobe.

'It's too late to bring her home-'

'She'd probably bolt, knowing her-'

'Hey!'

'I know! She can wear my shoes!'

Everyone looked at Risa, the brilliant one, as she removed her shoes. Riku's face became a mask of horror. Risa didn't wear shoes, she wore horrible fluffy things, which weren't even supposed to be in the same category as shoes but probably belonged somewhere in the behind section, the kind of shoes no one would dare to wear out, except to-

'They're just _slippers_, Riku. And wipe that terrible look off your face.'

'Oh god! They aren't slippers, they're-they're _bunny killers_! And they're PINK! I refuse!' Riku started backing away but Rukia, thinking along the same lines, moved closer, blocking off her line of escape.

'Nonsense! They're only _slightly_ pink. Mostly blue,' Risa laughed, dismissing Riku's fashion sense and seriously undermining Eirotte's and Rukia's imagination. She proffered the pair of strappy fluff at Riku.

Riku shook her head childishly. 'Can I wear Rukia's shoes at least?' she asked timidly.

'No. You wear mine. I am being the nice younger sister here, and I am letting you _wear my shoes_. Do you know how many people I know want to wear Risa Hiwatari nee Harada's shoes?' she said with a steely glint in her eye. Riku sighed.

'Fine. And to think today is my birthday…' Riku continued under her breath. 'I get ambushed, tackled and embarrassed until beyond the edge of infinity… and to top it all off, possibly, drunk.' She pulled the vile fluffy strappy things on anyway.

'Right. Now what?' Riku nodded with a hint of defeat in her tone, as she planted her hands on her hips, tilting her head for effect. Eirotte smiled and nodded affirmatively, giving her a thumbs-up. Rukia nodded shortly, signalling her approval.

Risa wasn't looking, she was pulling something out of her bag, a bag which Riku didn't know her sister was carrying. Riku's look of defeat soon turned into outrage, as she saw what Risa pulled out.

'A pair of _shoes_! RISA! Why didn't you TELL me you had SHOES!' Riku cried, nearly pulling her face off in exasperation. Risa looked at her as though she was mad.

'Don't be stupid. I just brought those today. I want to wear them!' Risa replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Riku wouldn't have been so incensed if they looked anything like those foul hairy things she had on. However, Risa new shoes were smooth, sleek and _beige_, with a slight tint of brown. So sensible… but she couldn't wear them. She nearly died of envy watching Risa pull them on.

'Damn you, Risa,' Riku muttered, as the trio held on to her arms again, and pulled her towards the staunch bouncer at the glass entrance of the club.

-/-

'Risa Hiwatari. I'm sure you know me…' Risa was saying loudly and clearly to the man. Risa had this belief since high school, that short and stocky people weren't intelligent. Several of Riku's best friends in college had been rather… vertically challenged but they were the most intelligent people she had met. Riku didn't really have the heart to tell her otherwise, as Risa would look dazed and space out until the topic changed anyway. Here, her prejudice wasn't so obvious, as the noise the people were making inside wasn't exactly as little as the hair on the bouncer's head. The bald bouncer then glared at the quartet, his eyes lingering on Riku, who was smouldering, and then waved them through.

Upon entering the club, Riku felt for the first time, that it had been worth it to be tackled, embarrassed and probably drunk, just to see the interior. It was… there was only one word for it, classy. There was no fog at all from the smokers; they had been cordoned off to another area behind the bar. The club had also been separated into two parts, an almost chic place where people could lounge and chat, and the dance floor, where the most energetic of the club's clientele could dance their time away. The area was big enough for the owners to install two different sound systems, one for the lounging area and one for the dance floor. While the lounging area had been furnished with cute yet comfortable, and stylish sofas and accompanying tables, the dance floor had been filled with high chairs and equally high tables, easy enough for the lively to jump out and join the dancing area. The lounging area was one where Riku would have most likely belonged, had she not lost her shoes. It was decked with mild colours and soft lighting, to bring forth the atmosphere of relaxation, something which she felt she deserved really badly today. The people there were also sitting about in small groups and talking quietly amongst themselves, like in respect of the surroundings and soft music flowing out from the speakers hinged at the corners of the room. It almost felt like a tiny bistro, tucked away in a corner of the street, like a secret. Spotting a particularly squashy looking sofa, Riku's legs wanted to melt… straight into it… but she felt herself being unwillingly tugged towards the bar.

_Nooooo..._ her mind was quietly protesting. _Sofa good… sofa's soft… _

As she slumped onto the hard high chair listlessly, she vaguely heard Risa ordering a drink.

'Whatever it is, make it a double,' she muttered, raising her hand slightly. The bartender heard and nodded accordingly.

-/-

Two hours later, Riku found out that she wasn't really feeling that down after all.

Of course, she had to add much vodka or whatever, into that concoction, to get the results.

Eirotte and Rukia were still sitting around and waiting, looking around almost hawkishly, waiting for… something. Riku had already been long gone, after what, her seventh martini? Eirotte had wanted to stop her from drinking her eighth but Risa had shook her head almost smilingly, which meant that _if_ Eirotte had stopped Riku, Risa wasn't going to speak to her for the next three years.

So Eirotte had shrugged and smiled faintly, as Riku suggested for them to do something really raunchy. Dancing on the bar top seemed like fun…

Riku lifted her head mulishly, something she felt she hadn't done for a very long time. Signalling rather drunkenly to the bartender, she muttered something into his ear, before hiccupping slightly.

'You look really… are you twins? That makes you guys like me and my sister… haha… we're twins too…'

Eirotte pulled her away from the polite bartender and flashed him one of her more dazzling smiles.

'Ignore her maudlin, she's always like that…' The bartender smiled obligingly.

'I see this practically everyday,' he grinned, cleaning a glass. 'What's your name? Mine's Perrin.'

Eirotte laughed. 'Oh I'm not interested. Neither should you…'

The bartender shrugged. 'Well, I'm here every Friday.'

Rukia turned around and smiled at the man. His boyish grin froze. Rukia had a grin that few could match… in scaring people. 'You should listen to her. She really isn't interested.'

Risa then walked over, cutting off the bartender's reply.

'Right, we're going off. Leave her here, she'll be fine.' Eirotte and Rukia stared at her in disbelief.

'You mean we brought her here just to leave her here?'

Risa laughed a rather disconcerting laugh. 'Oh hohohohoho!' she cackled, putting her hand to her mouth demurely. 'I've got it all planned. She'll be fine! This isn't called Riku's Birthday Surprise for nothing you know!'

Eirotte still looked unsure, pushing her glasses up gently. 'Are you sure? This is Friday night after all, many things can happen…' She placed her hand comfortingly on Riku, who was still leaning on the hard metal bar top, and Riku giggled and blew a bubble. Risa's smile faded.

'Look, she's my sister and I want the best for her. I'm sure you do too. You know her company's state, and I do too… so let's just trust me on this, and leave her here… and if she gets raped or something, I'll be sure to know who did it too, and I'll slaughter that evil man. Anyway, just trust me on this, and I'll tell you the surprise later okay?'

She patted Riku's arm reassuringly. Eirotte turned towards the woman who now had the mental capacity of a five-year old and sighed.

'At least, tell me what her birthday surprise is…' she added quietly, as Rukia went to join them, and they started leaving the club. Risa smiled mysteriously.

'I think it's… no, _he's_ been here waiting for quite a long time already…'

Risa pointed towards the corner of the lounging area. Rukia's and Eirotte's line of sight followed her finger, and stared as a man with violently purple hair barely visible in the dim lighting raise his cup in salutations.

'_That's_ Riku's birthday surprise!'

'Well, yeah. What did you expect? I was dropping hints all over!'

'But but… a man?'

'And not just any man, Eirotte! He's the best one I could find!' Risa waggled her finger playfully. 'And when Risa finds the best, she _means_ the-'

Rukia chuckled darkly, cutting Risa off. 'You are so brilliant Risa. I don't know how you do it…'

Eirotte could only stutter. 'Are you sure? She'll be okay right?'

Risa cast Eirotte a questioning glance, even as Rukia interrupted, 'Eirotte, you're talking to the woman who melted the Ice King's heart.'

Eirotte blinked, and smiled. Slipping her arm around Risa, she watched Rukia do the same and the trio left the bar, smiling serenely.

'…But why did you have to get her drunk?'

-/-

Riku woke up from a slight snooze she had been having on the bar top. The bar top was a hard place to sleep on, she felt, and now she wanted a nice softer place to soothe her legs. Sitting down on a hard high chair for the past two hours had done very bad things to her bum. Yawning slightly, she stood up unsteadily, hiccupped, and grinned childishly at the bartender twins.

She leant over the bar top as both of the twins, once again, obligingly leant over to hear whatever she had to say.

'You guys are really… really something. Thanks… so much…-hic- for listening to me… but can I have… another drink? Because my glass is empty… and I really, really, really… don't like that view…' she grinned sheepishly as the 'men' filled up two glasses of alcohol for her. 'Where're… my friends?' she asked, suddenly noticing their absence.

She spun around unsteadily, to see where her friends had gone, and predictably lost her balance. Riku only remembered seeing some _things_ black and thin appearing somewhere from the corner of her eye… and suddenly the floor was very far away from her face.

'Ooooohh…' she muttered dizzily. 'Hello floor…!'

She felt something pull her up, and she lifted her face up to greet it, only to see two of the most intense violet eyes she had ever seen staring back at her. Normally, Riku would have slapped the evil bugger for taking advantage of her, as Riku had a personal space which extended several metres away from her body. However, befuddled by one too many shots of alcohol, Riku only laughed slowly and said dreamily, 'You have the most pretty eyes I have ever seen…'

The eyes twinkled as Riku finally noticed the face that went along with the astonishing eyes. The face was boyish yet devastatingly good-looking, for even though Riku did know the word 'handsome', she had never used it on anyone before and she certainly wasn't going to start tonight, even if she was a little tipsy. The face was similarly framed by one of the worst hairstyles she had seen, yet they complemented the person's eyes oh _so_ beautifully.

Unfortunately, even though Riku still was sober enough to notice such salient features, the alcohol had taken its toll, and now Riku was looking into two pairs of purple eyes.

'Hi…' she murmured. 'You're very pretty…'

The faces grinned at her. A surprisingly low voice answered, 'Hello. So are you.'

A tiny thought bubble surfaced amongst the swamps of drunkenness. 'You're a guy?' she queried curiously, as the man helped her towards the blessed piece of squashy furniture she had been eyeing the entire night.

'Fortunately, yes. My name's Dark Mousy. What's yours?' he smiled as he bounced onto the seat next to her on the sofa, and called for his drink. Having finally rested on the wonderfully soft sofa, Riku grinned again and placed her head on the top of the cushion, and turned to face the interesting person, her short hair spilling all over her face.

'My name's Riku… and today's my birthday!' she announced self-righteously, putting her finger to her mouth. 'Haha…'

Dark nearly snorted into his drink. She had looked completely adorable at that point, and he wouldn't have been able to swallow anything for fear of choking upon it, and ruining the moment.

'Well, happy birthday then, Riku.' He held his hand out to congratulate her. 'And how old does Miss Riku become today?'

Riku took his hand and shook it. It was surprisingly warm for a person who had waited for at least an hour before making his move, under the fierce air-conditioning of the club. It was also smooth, and Riku couldn't help noticing the extremely long fingers the man had.

'You have very long and pretty fingers, Mr Dark…' she replied, taking his hand and subjecting it to close scrutiny. Dark laughed- a low pleasant sound.

'Does Miss Riku's vocabulary only contain the word 'pretty'?' Dark asked teasingly, his eyes never leaving her as she examined his hand with childlike curiosity.

'I turn… twenty… err…' Riku dropped his hand and scratched her head and then sighed as a hurried search in her memory drive proved futile. 'I can't remember…'

Dark shrugged and smiled again. 'It's alright. Sometimes, it's good not to remember stuff.'

Riku nodded happily. 'I was trying to forget something today but now I can't remember what…' She laughed and pulled her legs up to the sofa, a bid against the sudden cold. Eyes shining with mischief, Dark burst out laughing again and replied, 'Perhaps it was the slippers?'

Riku turned down to her feet, to see some very unfamiliar objects at the end of her legs, contrasting rather violently with her black stockings. Her eyebrows wrinkling as she tried to remember how they got there, she pulled the slippers off her feet and stared at them. After a few seconds of silence, she shrugged and then replaced the slipper back on her feet.

'Nope… it isn't the slippers.'

Dark cocked his head to the right as he leant on the sofa along with Riku. 'Hmmm… maybe it's… your job? What do you work as?'

Riku frowned again then brightened. This time, her search proved successful. 'I work as someone who draws pictures for other people…' her vocabulary sadly lacking as the alcohol continued its toll on her brain.

Dark put his finger to his chin. 'An artist? An interior or fashion designer? Architect?' he probed.

Riku shook her head violently. 'I don't like drawing buildings… I think I draw insides of houses… What about you?' she asked Dark.

Dark tossed his head casually to shift his hair. 'I write,' he said simply.

Riku laughed again. 'I like to read! Have I read your writings before?'

Dark swallowed his drink. 'No… I don't think so. Unless you read magazines…'

Riku replied, 'Risa reads magazines!'

'Risa?'

'She's my sister. She's married now, though she's younger than me. It's so lonely without her around any more. I mean, I'm happy for her yes… but it's sad… like she left me for her own happiness…' A slice of Riku's inner self, which wasn't completely drunk yet, had broken through, and without the constraints of her outer core, which was currently having fun with several types of organic compounds, it continued pouring out, like a river which had broken through a dam.

'I mean, it's all very nice to go and get married but she doesn't seem to remember me anymore. Oh she comes and visits… sometimes… but she seems to have forgotten that I've spent my entire life looking after her and watching for her so everything I did was for her, as she was always the pretty one, the one everyone looked out for, as she didn't seem capable of looking out for herself… then she met that Satoshi Hiwatari, and got herself married, without so much as a thank-you Riku for taking care of me!' Riku continued, taking a deep breath to continue.

'Then it's all very well that Satoshi's some big businessman and rich, so she's all taken care of… but how about me? I've been the kind sister, the one who always took care of her, the one who went after the guys who broke her heart… heh,' Riku smiled weakly to herself. 'Now that she's married, she's really free now and today she dragged me to this bar for some birthday surprise thing-'

Riku stopped. Dark turned to face her.

'Why'd you stop?'

'I-I-never figured out what was her birthday surprise thing!' she stormed. 'She dragged me here to get drunk, stupid girl, I'm going to kill her when I get home!'

Dark raised a delicate eyebrow. One thing worst than a half-drunk would be an angry half-drunk.

'Er… have another drink?' he said hastily, offering her his glass. 'To soothe your angry spirit?' Angry, Riku took it and downed in swiftly.

Dark poured another one quickly, even as the bartender arrived with another bottle and another glass.

As Riku downed several more glasses much too quickly for her body to handle, Dark leant back and looked at the angry young woman.

She was amusing yes, and undoubtedly very angry at her sister. Still there had to be something else which had to be the source of her getting drunk in the first place. He looked at his watch. He still had a couple of hours to waste, something he would very much like to spend on this woman. She was very interesting…

'- here?'

'What?' Dark snapped out of his brief reverie. 'I'm sorry… what did you say?'

'I asked what you were doing here.'

'Oh. I was waiting for someone.'

'Well?'

'Well what?'

'Did you find that person?'

'I can't say yet.'

Riku sniffed and leant back on her sofa, crossing her legs impatiently, ignoring the disgusting pieces of cloth that was at her feet. She _was_ drunk, half–drunk really, but now that she found a purpose for getting drunk (again), Riku Harada wasn't one to let a tiny thing like money get in her way.

'Bartender!' she called. 'Three more bottles!'

Dark's impression of the woman grew significantly. He didn't know whether it was good or bad yet. All he knewwas that, _man she must be really upset… _

-/-

Two hours later, yet again, Riku was now completely at sea in the huge alcoholic ocean that she had sunken herself into. Dark wasn't drunk; in fact he could hold his liquor exceptionally well. He had just sat there and slipped a few slips of his martini, and watched and listened as the angry woman poured everything out to him.

His impression of her had definitely improved. He found out that she was an interior designer but her company was currently floundering, and that she was now twenty-three and completely lost at what to do with her life. She was also a very passionate woman, as seen by her previous outburst, and one who pretty much kept everything to herself. She was definitely very interesting. Risa promised, and she did deliver. He knew about her company of course, which was why Risa had organised the entire Riku Birthday Surprise Extravaganza, just to cheer her sister up. Unfortunately, Riku didn't know about it, and was currently spilling her secrets all out to her birthday present.

She was now relating how she got into the bar, after telling him her entire day at work.

'-and Rukia just ran over me like it was the most normal thing to do. I mean, doesn't she care that I don't want to come? I wanted to go home and sleep! I had such a terrible day today and it was…' Dark jerked in surprise when he didn't hear her voice any more and turned to see Riku burst into tears right before his eyes.

'Hey, hey… what's the matter?' he asked, thoroughly surprised that she had completely broken down in front of him.

'I'm just… so tired… and all I wanted was a nice long sleep and no one to disturb me and…' she stopped and suddenly looked at him in a new light. 'Dark, can I ask you a serious question?'

Dark tilted his head again, moving closer. 'Yes?'

'Can you bring me somewhere to sleep? I'm really tired… and my head hurts really badly… and I'm currently seeing triplets.'

Dark smiled down at her. Seeing her ask such an innocent question, with tears in her beautiful eyes… suddenly it took all his self control not to just hug her and comfort her then, telling her that the world was alright.

Man, she was intense.

'Sure,' he smiled. 'Where'd you want to go?'

Getting up, he held out his hand to her and she smiled and pulled his hand, falling onto his shoulder, as she slipped a little.

Riku giggled again, getting light-headed, as she picked up one last bottle of alcohol.

'I want to go somewhere grand… somewhere I've never slept in before… like the Hilton Hotel! That's where my sister had her wedding…'

Dark laughed and supported her out of the bar as she took one swig of the bottle. As she hiccupped, Dark tsked and pulled the bottle from her hands.

'Now that's enough, Miss Riku Harada…' he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. Riku pouted.

'I'm twenty-three and I can drink when I want to, and you can't stop me!' she replied, crossing her arms.

Dark laughed. 'I can and I will. You don't really want to know how I can stop you from drinking… trust me.'

Opening the door of the club, Riku looked at the sky muzzily, and laughed as she felt droplets on her face.

'It's raining!'

Dark sighed and supported her all the way to his car, which was conveniently parked near the building, so the couple only got slightly damp. As Dark got into the driver's seat, Riku followed rather unsteadily to sit at the back and she sprawled all over the back seat, hiccupping.

'Now if you want to hurl, there's a plastic bag somewhere in the seat pockets.'

'Don't wanna hurl,' said a muffled voice.

'Don't go childish on me, Riku. You've been through a lot today.'

'Wanna sleep.'

'Right. Hang on tight then.'

Dark started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. Riku mentioned something about the Hilton Hotel, and frankly that was one of the few hotels he would put up on a night like this, with a spitfire like Riku drunk and all.

Riku didn't make any sound at all when he was on the highway, driving towards the nearest Hilton Hotel. Dark was thinking that she was finally asleep as the Hilton Hotel loomed into view, when Riku suddenly sat up at the backseat, startling him.

Her eyes were closed and she leant on the back of the driver's seat, and placed her arms on his shoulders slowly. Dark was completely nonplussed but enjoyed the experience all the same.

'Hmm?' he asked when he felt her breath on his right cheek.

'Dark… have I thanked you yet?'

'Nope.'

'Well… thank you…'

'No problem.'

'You're such a nice guy…' Riku murmured, pulling her arms closer around his neck. The effect of the hug wasn't as he hoped it would be, he nearly choked- but the gesture was still rather lovely. Dark felt… strange. With any other girl, he would have pulled over and probably slept with her there and then but with her… he didn't feel any physical urges at all… well, any which weren't morally upright, at least.

_Odd. _

'And have I told you yet? I don't want to be an interior designer. I want to be a fashion designer… like in all the magazines Risa's been reading…'

Dark stiffened. No wonder Risa said he was the perfect man for the job. That conniving witch…

'Well. That's interesting.'

'Yep. Will you help me?' Man did she know how to read minds or something, when she was drunk?

'I'll see what I can do.'

'Thanks…'

He drove up to the entrance of the lobby, and a valet jumped up to receive him and park his car. That was easy. Registering, however… was another thing.

The receptionist was an old man, and he cast the pair of them a dismissive look- an apologetic young man with violently purple hair supporting an obviously very happy-go-drunk woman.

'One room, I presume?' he asked, as he arched his fingers, and eyebrows, to check the rooms on his computer.

'Yeah but-'

'With one _big_ warm bed!' Riku grinned mischievously, cutting Dark off. He looked incredulously at her.

'What?' She stared at him with dilated eyes. 'I might get cold…'

Dark wanted to correct the man but he was already typing in his computer, he obviously didn't care what Dark thought he might think they were doing.

Oh god.

She might get cold… so many meanings in that one sentence. Dark managed a weak smile as the man passed him their key.

'Room 14-05. Walk to your left, and the lifts are located there. The lift master will be happy to guide you to your rooms. Enjoy your stay.'

Dark's grin was frozen on his face as he approached the lift master. He was a cheerful, slightly overweight man, who had kept his silence rather respectfully on the lift as Riku was currently humming nursery rhymes. When they reached their floor, he easily pointed them down to their respective room and sent them off with a cheerful 'Enjoy your stay!'

Three words. Three stupid words. Dark had to tell himself that they were just… _words_ and he didn't need to wring their necks just for saying these… syllables.

Dark wanted to yell them; to tell them that they weren't doing anything wrong and he was just bringing her here because she wanted to come but the words wouldn't come. He had done this before, plenty of times… but why didn't the previous times seem as wrong as this?

His conscience poked him, and passed him a message.

_Because you were drunk as well, stupid. _

He snorted at himself. That explained a lot. Stopping in front of their room, he unlocked the door as Riku leaned on the wall, her face now serenely peaceful, as the depressant properties of alcohol were starting to work full time.

As the door opened, Dark helped Riku into the room and kicked the door closed. Seating her on the single bed (damn that cheeky receptionist, didn't Riku specify a 'big' bed?), he watched her go straight from sitting position to lying position without any interruptions in between. Standing up and shaking his head, he was about the leave when a muffled voice called out, 'Dark?'

He stopped. His hand was on the door knob. She sounded so very vulnerable…

'Hmm?'

'Don't go…'

His shoulders sagged in defeat. 'Alright.'

He went back to the bed, where she was sprawled on, her ridiculous slippers abandoned on the floor. Upon seeing his return, she had broken into one of the most breath-taking smiles he had ever seen on a drunken woman. Sitting down with a sigh and by the side of the bed, he was about to shut his eyes when Riku stopped him.

'Aren't you going to be cold there?'

'I'll be fine.'

'No. I want you to sleep on the bed.'

'But you're there.'

'Do you want to freeze to death then?'

'I told you I'll be fine.'

'Dark Mousy, you will sit on the bed!'

'No, I-' He didn't get to finish his sentence, as Riku had already grabbed his hand and was pulling him onto the bed.

'You will sit! Sit!' she pushed him onto the bed and he settled uncomfortably near the head of the bed. 'If you don't want to sleep, sit and watch me sleep-' Riku continued. 'Because I don't want to be alone…'

Dark smiled again as she snuggled up next to him, under the covers, muttering something about 'a warm pillow'. What a wonderful, honest little woman. He didn't meet many of this kind of women now. A bit of an attitude there but Dark wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Besides, he _was_ her birthday present for the next… he looked at his watch.

'Minus one hour and fifteen minutes. Jolly good.' He remarked as he crossed one hand behind his head, leaning on the bedstead (Sudden memory loss, can't remember what to call that piece of wood at the head of the bed, is this it?) of the bed. Another hand had placed itself naturally on Riku's head and was stroking her smooth coppery sheen of hair as she slept on his body, his slow easy breathing lulling her into a peaceful sleep.

Still unable to get much sleep, Dark's hand fidgeted for his iPod which he had kept in his pocket. He had taken it out to listen and wait for his birthday girl to get sufficiently drowned and had kept it when he saved her from having a personal conversation with the floor regarding her face. Now that she was sleeping, it seemed like a perfect chance to continue listening to his songs, as he heard the soft patter of the rain from outside the window.

The song currently on was ending already, and there was a few seconds of silence as his shuffle randomly picked a song.

The mild guitar tune encouraged him to close his eyes and he bobbed his head slightly to the gentle melody of the song.

_What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time _

Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

What are the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here

Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right

Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

What day is it?  
And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive

Dark smiled with his eyes closed. Switching off his iPod and the lamp by the side of the bed, he sighed and closed his eyes again.

Today hadn't been such a bad day, really…

Aside from the great guilt joyride he took, then the random mood swings of the interesting woman… it really was quite a nice day after all.

'What day is it, and what month, this clock never seemed so alive…'

Well, he thought. There's still tomorrow, which would certainly be very interesting…

/finished/

Heka: Ugh, it's one in the morning, and I spent the whole day on this nine page thing! Ugh it isn't my best work I think… but the next chapter will be better. I promise! I'm sorry I HAD to add the song! Really! I'm such a song fanatic…

Dark: A Clan!

Heka: Shut up. It's called a Fanlisting.

Shigure: Nooo… why did you tell him…

Heka: To shut him up?

Dark: I liked this chapter. But I think I'll like the next chapter more. Heka has something really naughty planned up right?

Heka: … No.

Dark: Damn.

Riku: It's bad enough I'm drunk and sleeping with you, now I got a headache…

Dark: I loved that line… 'I might get cold…'

Riku: Shut up.

Heka: Review! All my loving fans!


	3. Hangover You Don't Deserve

Heka: Okay, I'm back! My O Levels are over! I'm going to try updating everyday! Well, if possible. Yeah.

Dark: Huh.

Heka: Oh something occurred to me when I was studying. You know how we all say that Dark and Daisuke likes Riku right?

Dark: (Perks up immediately) Yes?

Heka: So technically, if Riku appeared in front of Daisuke, what would happen?

Dark: He'd change into me.

Heka: Yes, then since you like Riku too, you'd change right?

Dark: … yes…

Heka: Into?

Dark: Daisuke.

Heka: Yes, and Daisuke likes Riku too, right?

Dark: Yes… oh dear.

Heka: See my point?

Daisuke: … I think I'm going to be sick.

Heka: And I present you the one other pointless thing I've been thinking about. On with the story!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most love stories begin with a protagonist, usually down on his or her luck. Most love stories then have the protagonist meeting, by accident, the love of his or her life, who would amazingly pull the person right out of the deep dark hole that he or she had been in, and smile charmingly, and everything would be wonderful from then on.

Most love stories bank on that, knowing that the beloved public loves them.

Unfortunately, this love story, banks on that catch, knowing that the beloved public loves them to bits. This love story, as we all now know, involves two startlingly different characters who unwittingly complement each other so well that they, sadly, do not see it.

This love story hopes to change that concept.

**Title: The Perfect Birthday **

**Chapter III: The Hangover You Don't Deserve **

Riku woke up feeling very warm. Very, very warm. That was good. Riku's bed was the warmest of all the furniture that she had in her cold little apartment, which explained why it took her half an hour to get out of bed during winter, rainy days, before six in the morning (every day then, including weekends) and when she had a hangover.

Speaking of hangovers…

Her eyes weren't even open yet, and Riku felt like the world's biggest Headache Imp had taken the largest hammer that it could find, and smashed it on top of her skull, splintering what remained of her consciousness into a million painful pieces. Ugh. She squeezed her shut eyes closer together.

She was going to find Risa and kill her, that evil scum of which did not even deserve to be given a name and-_ooohhh_, she groaned in her head as another wave of pain hit her…. the agony of…

Riku shifted slightly. The bed was very, very warm. Unnaturally warm. The covers were also very, very heavy.

With her eyes still closed, Riku wondered why, her muddled brain going through yesterday's program with shaky fingers.

Uh… that bar… the drinks… the twin bartenders… and uhh… drinking…

Riku froze. Not that she was moving much anyway.

As her mind checked itself hastily, she ticked off mentally the parts she could feel… head was aching but fine, shoulders, arms… bit lethargic but still there… chest… heart, breathing… good… body, fine… something thin pressing lightly on her waist… butt, legs… something long and heavy there… stockings… toes… good. All were present and accounted for.

Then her mind turned to more pressing matters- like what was on her waist and on her legs, when her sensitive hairs at her neck suddenly noticed the presence of warm air.

_Moving_ warm air.

Warm air that felt like… like it was being breathed in and out.

_Oh. My. God. _

Riku's eyes flew open. She regretted that decision immediately, as her already splitting headache seemed to get even worst and she whined slightly. However, she told herself to remain firm against the Headache Imp's onslaught and moved the arm her body wasn't currently laying on, closing her eyes again. She really didn't need the extra pain.

As she slowly moved her arm so that she could feel her waist and that mysterious object, a more pressing matter than moving warm air, her elbow encountered something hard and equally warm.

Shrinking away immediately, Riku didn't move and didn't dare to turn around, for fear of what she would see and unintentionally awake. So she contented herself by moving her hand down her waist, finally touching the long thin object on it. As her hand moved along the length of the object, she became aware that it was extremely smooth… like… that thing made of maggot spit… uhh… silk! Yeah, that was it.

Her exploration of the long object ended with her hand feeling five long thin extensions from the main body of the object. She felt each extension, rubbing her fingers against them, trying to get her head to stop pounding as she guessed what she was feeling.

Uh… soft… knobby thing… soft… another knob…bit of soft… hardness with an edge…

As realization dawned upon her, Riku felt like screaming for the second time ever since she woke up.

OH. MY. GOD.

That was a HAND!

And she bet seventeen Hayden Christensens and her headache that whatever that was on her leg was another LEG!

OH MY GOD!

As Riku readied herself to scream, the hand shifted slightly. That shut her up.

Oh yeah, her brain slowly and viciously remembered at that moment… hands and legs were attached to bodies and bodies were attached to…!

Unable to take the suspense anymore, Riku turned around to face her unfamiliar rapist, took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

-/-

Dark had spent a few hours of the previous night, or earlier this morning, thinking about the very strange yet interesting woman who had fallen asleep on his stomach, after listening to the song on his iPod. Risa had contacted him several weeks ago, telling him that her sister's birthday was coming up. Dark had been completely nonplussed, having known Risa only though Satoshi and Risa's sister through Risa. What was her name again, yes, Riku.

Risa had outlined her sister's character to Dark over the phone, knowing that Dark couldn't resist interesting women. Riku had sounded like a spitfire and being Risa's twin sister, as gorgeous as her. Dark had been intrigued from the beginning, after hearing how Risa's sister had single-handedly made a bully tremble with fear when they were in high school by just glaring and slamming her locker exceptionally loud when he was in the vicinity. Add the fact that she was intensively over-protective with her air-headed (okay, Risa didn't _say_ that but Dark knew what she meant anyway) and belle-of-the-ball sister, and completely immune to any male, alien, lesbian, demon or heavenly being, spiked his interest more.

So he had agreed to her devilish plan of a Birthday Surprise, to be Riku Harada's (heavenly) birthday present for twenty-four hours, as a means to meet her and to, if possible, break her immunity to men in general. Both agreed that in order for Dark to come through the process in one piece, Riku had to be drowned in alcohol first, something which she almost never did, with the iron grip she had over her lifestyle. Thus Risa had brought forth reinforcements, her two friends who knew of Riku's immunity to men and wanted, in all good will… and okay, a little evilness, to see Riku finally with a man, after chasing every one away for the past ten years.

He had been waiting in his black car and had seen, in the fading sunlight in the evening, a bunch of women dragging what, he guessed, was his recipient. He had watched with great amusement at the way that his receiver had tried practically all ways and means to escape from the clutches of her friends, resorting to breaking a heel and running madly, culminating with a rude tackle in the midriff from one of her more… violent friends.

He had waited for about half an hour, before his cell phone rang and Risa told him that it was A-Ok for him to enter the building. He had gone in and waited for another hour and a half, watching the four women intently. There was a cute brunette wearing glasses, who seemed to be the only one who was truly worried for the soon-to-be drunk woman. There was also a short woman with black hair, who was the one who ran an impressive flying tackle on Riku and whose fierce glare had chased away many of the men who had tried to hit on her, but he wasn't interested in them. Who he was interested in, was the woman who had been hunched up over at the bar top, talking to the bartender and giggling away like a five year old.

She was redhead, and then not a redhead. He couldn't decipher the colour of her hair. He finally decided with either copper or rust, or as deep red as the sunset that graced the skies every evening. And she had the deepest eyes that he had ever seen. He admitted that they had been dulled slightly by the alcohol but still, they had this power over him, like they were just begging him to go drown in their depths. And her face- Risa _was_ good-looking and her sister had the same charm and features but there was something else to them, something much, much deeper. Taking an eye from Risa and an eye from Riku and switching them wouldn't make much of a difference but when Riku's features came together, Dark was very sure that there was a certain chemistry within her genes, which made her far different from her sister; and he was determined to find out what that was

Meeting her had been easy, he had walked up to her, intent on using one of his more famous and cheesier pick-up lines when she had slipped and spun, a result of a little too much alcohol, and landed up in his arms.

He distinctly heard her greet the floor though, before she had the sense to look up and see who had prevented her from doing some real damage to her nose…

Her very adorable nose, he might add. Heck, everything about her was cute. The way she laughed, the way she got angry and then finally the way she so blatantly pleaded for him not to leave…

Dark winced, not only because of the memory but also because of someone's voice.

'AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

Dark jerked out of whatever dream or thought process he had been experiencing, and tried to focus on the situation at hand with the most amount of energy he could muster after being so rudely woken up.

As he sat up hurriedly on the bed, all he was aware of was a solid wall of sound coming from the very much awake and frightened Riku. His movements to placate her were met with pillows and even more sound, something which he didn't really like in the morning, even though it was from a very intriguing woman.

'Riku! Riku! RIKU! SHUT UP!' he yelled. 'Riku! Shhh! What will the neighbours think!'

Riku's screaming didn't stop. She had retreated to the corner of the bed, pulling most of the blankets with her and pummeling her serial rapist with pillows (not a very effective method but apparently her screaming was working) before he knew what was happening and started shouting coherent sentences. She didn't care that he was speaking coherently now; all she wanted was for him to go away.

Dark was beginning to get slightly irritated with the woman. Okay, he understood the initial shock (not every girl got to wake up with the gorgeous Dark Mousy cuddling her), and he understood that she had just woken up and was probably suffering from the effects of a hangover but that _did not_ give her the right to scream her head off first thing in the morning and attempt to kill him with pillows.

Fighting through the flurry of pillows, he pushed one smooth arm holding a pillow down and another, successfully but there was still the problem of her voice, which was starting to form words, words that he didn't particularly like.

'YOU PERVERT! GET YOUR STINKING HANDS OFF ME, YOU SON OF A-' Riku was bellowing at the top of her voice. However, before she could finish her sentence, Dark had suddenly remembered that he had one more appendage on his body that he could use to silence her and covered her mouth with his.

(A/N: Ah hahahahaha just like the manga! –Does a boogie dance!)

-/-

A few hours later, Risa was sitting on a plush chair by her dresser; happily painting her toe nails a new shade of fuchsia after finishing her finger nails. Unlike Riku, she had not been rudely awakened in the morning and was naturally in a very good mood. As she finished the last nail on her right foot, she perked up suddenly, having heard a car driving past and pulling over. Smiling even more widely, she capped her bottle of nail varnish and placed it on the dressing table. Glancing at the reflection in the mirror and satisfied with what she saw, she turned and beckoned her maid over.

The timid woman scuttled over, her head bowed.

'Yes m'm?'

Risa laughed. 'There's no need to be so polite. Call me Risa, like I've told you before. Okay?'

'Yes m'm.'

Risa sighed then continued, 'My sister will be coming in soon. Please get a cool drink ready… or any hangover cure you might have at hand. Thank you so much.'

The maid vanished. Risa turned back to the mirror and smiled at her reflection again when she distinctively heard a car door slam shut.

She held out her right hand to check her nails and put down two fingers.

Three… she put down one expertly manicured finger.

Two… she smiled and put down another finger.

One.

'RIIIISSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAA!'

Risa smiled and looked towards the ceiling, flourishing both her hands dramatically. Her sister was so predictable and accurate. It was almost starting to get boring, predicting all her moves before hand. Still, Riku was Riku and there was no telling what she would do now, now that she was so angry.

Quickly, she turned herself so that her back was to the door of her room. As she arranged her face in what she hoped was an innocent look, the door slammed open. Turning around slowly, Risa's smooth face assumed a look of slight surprise, a complete contrast to her twin sister's thunderous expression.

'You rang?' she said mildly, smiling at her furious sister. 'What a surprise, Riku! I never thought you'd visit me-'

It was then she noticed her sister's attire. Riku looked absolutely disheveled and uncomfortable; she was still in her business suit from yesterday, and her right hand was clasping a rather messy-looking briefcase and in her left, a pair of pink-

Oh dear.

Risa tittered slightly. Her sister was walking around only in black stockings, her strict business suit and an angry expression. This would not do. Taking a deep breath, she rose from her chair and smiled widely.

'Riku darling, you look _terrible_!' she announced, putting one arm around her furious sister's shoulder and gently steering Riku out of her own room. 'This cannot do! No buts dearie,' she added when she saw Riku getting ready a comeback. 'You need a bath. My goodness! Into the bathroom you go,' Risa continued gleefully, pushing her now bewildered sister into the luxurious bathroom located on the same floor. 'And you're not allowed to come out until at _least_ an hour has passed and I know you've been happily seda- I mean, relaxed by all the wonderful perfumes I've got in there!'

She subsequently shut the door in Riku's scowling face and sang,

'And you've got everything in there that's possibly related to bathing so don't come out till you're completely relaxed!'

Riku made a face when she heard what her sister said. Turning from the door, she still felt her breath slip away when she saw the bathroom.

It was, there was no other word for it, _huge_. The floor and walls were tiled with beautiful white… _things_… not marble, for sure, as it was too warm to be marble and geology wasn't one of her strong points … and the bath itself was huge enough to two people. Riku blanched as soon as she thought that. She did _not_ want to know what her sister did here. There were several fluffy white towels and bathrobes hanging from a metal towel rack just beside the bath itself. The light was reflecting off everything, the large mirror above the sink, the smooth ceramic water closet at the left of the room, and suddenly appearing like a black dot in a sea of white, of all things- a _compact-disc player. _

Truth was that this was the guest bathroom, and anything that Satoshi and Risa did was, in fact in another bathroom, connected to the master bedroom. But Riku wasn't to know that.

Sighing deeply, Riku began to do as her sister said, knowing that no matter how airy or floaty Risa was, once she had dictated something, she would annoy the person until the task had been done. Thus with this in mind, Riku turned the faucet on, and waited as the bath filled with steaming warm water.

While waiting, Riku started fingering the many bottles of soaps that her sister had placed by the side of the bath absentmindedly. _Sensuous…Aromatic…Supple…Smooth as silk… Warm… _Riku winced mentally as she read the labels. Man, her sister must have worked really hard to get the spotless complexion she had today…

Inching out of her black stockings –God knows how much she hated the evil nylon things- she put her toes in the warm water, and immediately felt the tension in her body slip away. The headache that had bothered her since the morning even began to fade away slightly. Emboldened by that, Riku selected a random bubble bath, and she watched in slight amusement as she squeezed the bottle for what it was worth into the warm water. Taking off the rest of her clothes, she left them in a neat bundle by the bath and sunk into the welcoming warm water, feeling the rest of her knotted nerves loosening and just soaking in the warmth.

'Aaaahhhhh…' she sighed, closing her eyes. Looks like Risa was right on that count, she admitted to herself grudgingly; she'd have to kill that sneaky sister of hers later, after soaking for just a little longer…

-/-

Smiling to herself, Risa had tea, the hangover cure and scones ready by the time her sister emerged from the bathroom in a fluffy white bathrobe and a relaxed expression. Then she sat and waited patiently while her sister changed into something more comfortable, before their very long, overdue talk.

When Riku entered the sitting room in her sister's huge house in a shirt and some slacks, having followed a very demure-looking maid, to see her sister sitting- no, lounging on the couch like an ancient Egyptian queen, she understandably lost her temper.

'You-' she began before Risa held out a hand imperiously to stop her.

'Sit,' Risa pointed. Riku sat down in a huff and attempted to start again. 'You-'

Risa held out her hand again. Riku held her tongue, something which even _she_ was surprised she did.

'Drink,' Risa continued, pointing at the glutinous-looking glass of hangover cure on the coffee table between them. Riku glanced at the cup then turned back to Risa. She was furious. Hangover cures and headaches were only secondary, compared to what she wanted to say to her conniving sister.

'Risa!' Riku exclaimed accusingly. 'You set me up!'

Risa treated her to a long stare as she slipped a cup of tea, completely ignoring the ringing accusation. 'So? How was he? Wasn't he nice?'

Riku's thermometer of tolerance, which was nearing boiling point, exploded in her head.

'Nice? Risa if you weren't my sister I'd have killed you by now… Nice? _He_ was a stinking pervert! _He_ was an irritating, sick serial rapist who-'

Risa stood up, surprised by her sister's burst of outrage. 'I beg your pardon? Dark Mousy, a serial rapist?'

Riku rounded on her sister like a hawk that had just spotted its prey. 'You KNOW HIM?'

'Yes, he's- '

'He! Kissed! Me!' Riku screeched, jabbing every word she yelled onto her sister's shoulder with a long finger. 'I woke up this morning to find that- that- _jerk_ wrapped around me like I was his- his- pillow or something!'

Risa laughed a long, melodious laugh, something which annoyed Riku to no end. She could still _laugh_?

'Wow, Riku! I didn't know you were this fast! I mean, it took Satoshi-kun and I three months before we got to where you were this morning!'

'Aarrghhhh!' Riku exclaimed, throwing her hands up in fury, completely forgetting her hangover cure. 'You- you… we are NOT talking about this again! This ends here and now! I'll never understand you… you stupid married women!'

And with that, she stormed out of the room, took her clothes and left the house, slamming the door so hard that a framed picture of Satoshi and Risa dropped and crashed onto the floor. A maid appeared and began to clean the mess up quickly.

Risa sighed and chuckled to herself, as she replayed the conversation in her head.

'Riku… don't you understand? This doesn't end today you know… in fact, it's just begun.'

Subsequently, she picked up her ever-convenient cell phone and dialed a very familiar number on it.

'Hello… Dark? I trust Part One went well…?'

-/-

Dark grinned as he finished his conversation with Risa. After he had kissed her, Riku had exploded _even more_, something he was honestly surprised about, thinking that she had exploded already when she woke up. Riku had pushed him off; given him a punch on his left cheek that he was sure he wouldn't be forgetting in a hurry and left the room, exclaiming something about 'killing that damn conniving witch'.

He had sat there, slightly stunned, as he felt Riku's rage spilling throughout the hotel, even through the soundproofed door which he knew Hilton installed in every one of their rooms. Then he had gotten up with a smile, dusted his black shirt and pants easily, checked himself in the mirror for any lasting effects of the punch and breezed out of the hotel as if nothing had happened.

Still, he made sure to leave a little… something for that sneaky receptionist.

He hadn't seen Riku at the entrance of the hotel when he exited just as a valet pulled over directly in front of him with his car; which meant that she had successfully found a cab and was on her way to send that lovely sister of hers into the lowest level in hell.

Apparently, according to Risa, that conversation between the sisters had gone really well.

Now he shrugged to himself and pulled into his office. Treating the female receptionist to a dazzling smile, he got into the lift and pressed the button to the highest floor.

A blonde man leaning on the wall of the lift cracked into a knowing smile.

'Morning, Dark. Never thought I'd see you checking in on a weekend.'

'Morning, Krad. As they say, when you want something done, you've got to do it yourself,' Dark winked. Krad was his assistant and best friend. In fact, he was the one who introduced Satoshi to Dark.

'I trust your morning went well? You seem to be in an especially good mood today. What do you need to do anyway?'

'It was simply delicious. Oh yes, can you help me get Daisuke on the line? I need to speak to him.'

'Whatever for? He's your cousin. You don't have to sound so serious with him.'

'Oh,' Dark mused, rubbing his chin, as a faint memory of hands around his neck and the whiff of alcohol appeared in his head, 'It's about a promise I made to someone…'

-/-

Two weeks flew by. Riku was currently engaging in a sort of mental cold war with her sister: she was refusing to communicate with her, by words or otherwise. Today was one of the few days were she could actually sit down on her table and not collapse in exhaustion. That was an event monumental in its own right; Riku had been so busy designing and re-designing interiors that she actually felt that she was getting sick of drawing, pencils and paper for once. Stretching herself, Riku yawned and looked out of the window.

It was raining today but the rain was stopping, and the sun was peeking out slightly. Riku smiled. She loved the way the world looked right after a shower. It felt fresh, cool and still, as though it hadn't gotten over the fact that the rain had stopped. Then the people would slowly but surely appear on the streets again, filling it up with bustle, breaking the silence.

She looked at the pieces of paper on her table, all filled with plans and blueprints of buildings. For once, she felt bored with them, and besides she was only practicing, as no one had hired her company for any designing yet.

She laughed to herself. Why would anyone call themselves a company when they were the only ones in it?

She had big dreams for her company, the days when people would consider it a fashion to be 'H&H-ed'. However, they seemed really far-fetched now, and Riku sighed in defeat.

Bummer.

Chucking the papers aside, she now smiled in anticipation as she pulled out another pile of papers hidden under her table, these all covered with pictures and sketches of clothes and designs. Taking up her pencil, she was going to continue on a particularly difficult part of one of her favourite designs when the doorbell rang.

Riku frowned.

It rang again and Riku stood up reluctantly. Damn all evil door people who didn't know when to ring the door properly…

Checking herself in the mirror beside the door, she noticed that her clothes were slightly creased and straightened them out. Evil door people had to be entertained decently, even if she was going to yell at them for annoying her.

Pulling the door open, she was going to ground out one of the most frightening versions of the word 'What' to the unfortunate person who stood on the other side of the door when her mouth went slack.

Standing in the corridor was a man, no older than her she hazarded, with a pair of warmest red eyes she had ever seen. Her eyes slowly traveled to the rest of his boyish face, and she saw that he had a most outstanding crop of crimson hair. He was wearing a simple white polo shirt and a pair of beige pants. He was, there was no other word for it-

'So cute…' she murmured as though in a dream. The man flushed.

'Ah… err…' he managed, scratching his red hair in such an adorable manner that Riku felt that if she wasn't already twenty-three and a woman who held on extremely firmly to her values, she would be squealing her head off and hugging him. Remembering what she had said, she flushed in a similar manner and laughed sheepishly.

'Ah… err…' she echoed and then laughed. 'I'm sorry about that…'

'Err… it's perfectly fine… I get that a lot…' he laughed as well. 'Well… my name's Daisuke Niwa…'

'Ah… I'm Riku Harada...' Riku managed, flushing brilliantly. A smaller more sensible side of her was yelling at her about what the heck she was doing, giggling like a cow on cocaine- when she remembered her manners. 'Err… come in Mr. Niwa… make yourself at home…'

She stood aside so that he could enter her flat. Her sensible side was yelling at her again about how she could just let a complete stranger enter her house like that, and she was seriously debating with herself that he was such an adorable man and there was no way that he could-

'Err… I'm sorry to barge in like this… but something happened to my car just now… and I found out I didn't bring my cellphone with me…' Daisuke was saying hesitantly, sitting gingerly on her sofa. Riku ended her debate with herself and stared at him, once again getting lost in his oh-so-dreamy- looking eyes. What an adorable…

'…What?' she said. Once again, her sober side rose up and for the third time in five minutes, began yelling at her again about how stupid she could be, taking in his oh-so-obvious lies… and she clamped down on that side of her. 'I'm sorry… your car malfunctioned?'

'Ah err… yes…' he admitted softly, as though that was something to be shy about and flushed again. Riku was currently wondering about how incredibly lithe he looked. He was thin but there was some sort of hidden energy in that thinness… it wasn't the thinness or not eating well, it was the thinness of a person who ate well, exercised regularly and had absolutely… gorgeous looking eyes…

'Err… Miss Harada? Are you alright?' Daisuke asked, now slightly concerned about how the woman was looking at him with a faraway look in her eyes.

Riku mentally shook herself. He was just a guy she told herself. He was in trouble, she reminded herself. He probably needed help, she told herself again, and he… he was just so cute…

_Stop it Riku! You look like a complete prat!_ She yelled at herself.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled and said, 'Err… I'm okay. So, err… your car malfunctioned, and you don't have your hand phone. Exactly how did you find my house?'

Daisuke jerked his head back slightly and flushed again. 'I… I just pressed any number on the lift and stopped at the first door I liked…?'

Riku peered at him suspiciously, her sensible side finally taking root, though her dreamy side was still gushing about his amazingly innocent-looking eyes. 'Uh huh. So you came up here to ask for?'

Daisuke scratched his head again. 'Err. I needed a phone… and there wasn't a public phone in sight… and it was raining, and… I needed the bathroom.'

At his words, Riku suddenly noticed that he was slightly damp, and she had to look at something else before her mind began to wonder what he looked like underneath without his polo shirt.

Riku-riku-riku-riku… guy needs… help… she reminded herself forcefully again. However she knew she couldn't stay in the same room as him for any longer or she was going to go mad.

Breaking into a huge smile, she said cheerfully, 'Well, the phone's right beside you and the washroom's right over there beside the kitchen and I'll bring you something to drink too, okay?'

Without waiting for an answer, she turned quickly and hurried into the kitchen, mentally kicking herself.

The guy wanted the bathroom! Duh, he didn't want a drink! She yelled again at herself. Riku, you stupid woman!

In the kitchen, she leaned over the counter and took a deep breath. Okay, she told herself, this guy just needed help, he was okay and he was nice, that's all, that's no reason to go around screaming and exclaiming what an adorable guy he was, he had good genes, that's all… and where'd his eyes get so red... and where did that thought come from…

She clutched her head in agony. Nononononono, that was a bad thought, a baaaad thought!

Letting her breath out with a hiss, Riku steeled herself and began to prepare a drink for him.

-/-

Sitting on the sofa in her living room, Daisuke looked around curiously. Dark had called him a couple of weeks ago, admitting that he had met some girl that he liked, and that he was going to help that girl achieve her dream or something, and that needed his help. That was a surprise, Dark had been mentioning about all the women of his life, and this was the first time that Daisuke had heard of a woman Dark actually _liked_. Forever the helpful guy (and a little curious as to what kind of woman she was), Daisuke had agreed to help him help her break into the fashion industry, which was kind of difficult, unless you had the right strings to pull.

Daisuke was currently the next CEO of Niwa.Inc, a clothing company so large that it had at least five outlets in practically every continent on Earth, except for the two extreme ends. His mother was the current chairwoman with a grip like iron on her company under all her giggling and mad ideas about how adorable Daisuke looked and laughing at her nephew.

Funny, the woman didn't even make the connection at the mention of his name. She had a long way to go then…

The woman was actually not unattractive. She had deep chocolate eyes and a wonderful smile, and was unerringly blunt. Something, Daisuke felt personally, that Dark really needed in his life, what with everyone fawning over him. At least she wouldn't be afraid to point out that she didn't like something, just like how she pointed out he was adorable…

Daisuke blushed at that thought. Damn, he told himself angrily, he mustn't fall for the woman his cousin had fallen for! Wanting something else to think about, he looked around again and his eye caught sight of a pile of papers on the table. That must be what she was working on before he barged into her house.

Standing up, he leant over and looked at the many pieces of paper, the designs all jumping out at him. They were good… they were very fresh, he had to admit. There were little parts on her sketches where he knew technology hadn't been able to reproduce yet but overall, they were excellent.

No wonder Dark wanted to help her…

This woman was a hidden gem.

Remembering himself in time, he bounced back onto the sofa and picked the phone up just as the woman re-entered the living room, looking very uncomfortable, with two glasses in her hands.

'Sorry… couldn't think of anything…' she apologized as she handed the glass of water to him. Daisuke smiled gently.

'It's alright…'

Clutching her glass as though it was her lifeline, Riku took a drink, and predictably choked on it. Alarmed, Daisuke was immediately beside her, patting her back and asking if she was alright. Riku, now red in the face with her exertion and embarrassment, squeaked out a 'perfectly fine' before collapsing into a fit of coughing again.

As Riku's coughing slowly subsided, Daisuke decided to make a stab for it.

'Err… Miss Harada, I'm sorry, I saw your sketches on the table… and…' he began slowly, watching her expression change from embarrassment to surprise then to anger, faster than a set of traffic lights.

'You…' Riku began. Her sketches were sacred. No one touched them. Not even the cutest guy in the world could touch them… 'You-' she continued, her voice growing in anger and rage, 'you…'

Daisuke's eyes grew wide as she stood up and towered over him. Bad move, he thought. As she moved closely to do him some real damage, he squeezed his eyes shut and exclaimed,

'TheywerereallyniceandIwantedtohireyoutodesignforussomenewclothes!'

Nothing happened. Daisuke opened one eye cautiously. Riku was standing over him, her face caught between an expression of anger and surprise.

'You- what?' she managed.

Daisuke opened both of his eyes and stared up at her shyly.

'They were really good… and I want to hire you!'

He closed his eyes swiftly for the explosion again.

Nothing happened.

He flinched then opened them again, and saw to his surprise, that Riku was sitting beside him with her face in her hands.

'Err… Miss Harada?'

'I'm okay… I am, really…' Riku's voice came out muffled from her hands. She wasn't crying- she was so embarrassed that she had tried to kill the man who was going to offer her the job of her dreams.

Inside however, she was screaming.

_Oh my God, this man wants to hire me_!

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Heka: Err yes. I end here! I've only got 3 reviews for this… I'm so sad!

Shigure: You're expecting too much. How can you expect people to read your story when it only has three chapters?

Heka: Well they could bloody well-

Dark: Now, now, be nice.

Heka: Hmph. Oh yes, I've forgotten to add my disclaimer and all, Shigure and Dark don't belong to me, neither do Riku, Risa or Satoshi or anyone else I put here, except the idea and the story…

Shigure: You stole me from Fruits Basket right?

Heka: Borrowed, Shigure, _borrowed_.

Shigure: Yeah, right.

Heka: Now, please review! Ask for pairings! Lol. Yes. Here are the two stories I said I'd recommend to you… I forgot the other time round, sorry!

1. _Don't Tell Anyone, But_ by Sakura-Angel2 2472157 (One of my biggest, biggest favourites! So cute and everything! I love this one!)

2. _La Fraise _by Komiko 1912191 (Also another one of my favourites! It's really funny and all, the way she writes! And she's a veteran too, in DarkxRiku pairings! Yay!)


	4. Catch Your Wave

Heka: I've decided to update The Perfect Birthday!

Shigure: Ahem. This is a perfect moment to go 'OH-EM-GEE!'

Heka: I know what sarcasm is, okay.

Dark: Really? Last I heard is that I just gave Riku a job…

Heka: You didn't. Daisuke did.

Dark: But I _told_-!

Heka: But she doesn't know…

Shigure: Ah ha! Plot twist!

Dark: What... What!

Shigure, Heka: He's _slow_…

Heka: She probably forgot about you already…

Dark: I am unforgettable. I am. I know I am.

Heka: Then you've got to see this. Riku darling!

Riku: Don't call me that! Who's the purple guy?

Dark: …

Shigure: And ten dollars goes to Heka.

Dark: Who betted for me?

Shigure: You _really_ don't want to know.

Heka: Oh yeah, someone asked for Kyou. Shigure, being the nice person he was, bundled him up nicely.

Shigure: (flips through measley amount of reviews Hint, hint) Don't see anyone who asked for Kyou in the reviews…

Heka: I know _someone_ did…

(Muffled screaming from a very large, dazzling present that is moving slightly)

Shigure: Then I went through all the trouble of tranquilising, kidnapping and paying Kagura all for _nothing_?

Heka: Wow. How much did you pay Kagura?

Shigure: A little here, a little there...

Heka: Since we've captured Kyou all for nothing, we'll be doing an auction! Roll up, roll up, the auction starts at one Private Message to me!

Dark: Isn't that like concentrated spam?

Heka: Spam, scham. I need to up my ego a little.

Dark: Then that explains the delay?

Heka: Anything for my readers.

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Most love stories begin with a protagonist, usually down on his or her luck. Most love stories then have the protagonist meeting, by accident, the love of his or her life, who would amazingly pull the person right out of the deep dark hole that he or she had been in, and smile charmingly, and everything would be wonderful from then on.

Most love stories bank on that, knowing that the beloved public loves them.

Unfortunately, this love story, banks on that catch, knowing that the beloved public loves them to bits. This love story, as we all now know, involves two startlingly different characters who unwittingly complement each other so well that they, sadly, do not see it.

This love story hopes to change that concept.

**Title: The Perfect Birthday **

**Chapter IV: Catch Your Wave **

The clock was ticking far too loudly in Riku's opinion. She had spent the last few minutes completely in shock, once the nic- gorgeo- simply _wonderful_ man had announced in a rather frightened manner, that he was going to hire her.

She wanted to cry; she was just so happy and so _grateful_ that she didn't kill him.

'Hello? Miss Harada?' Daisuke was waving his hand in front of her face curiously. 'Are you alright?'

Riku pulled herself together and took a deep breath. 'Yes! I mean, yes! I'm fine! Thank you!' she barked.

Daisuke sat back on the sofa uncomfortably. She was obviously very rattled but he wasn't exactly sure why. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she nearly killed him just now.

He peered at her. She was apparently lost in thought. Again.

'What did you say your name was again?' she said slowly, putting her finger to her lips in a manner akin to a child trying to figure out a mystery.

He snorted softly. 'Daisuke Niwa.'

She snapped her fingers suddenly. 'Niwa! I knew I heard that name before!' Then she looked at him triumphantly. 'You're the owner of Niwa.Inc! The guy who owns…'

Her voice petered out as she realised what she was talking about.

'Oh dear.'

Daisuke gave her a quizzical glance. Riku turned bright red faster than a set of traffic lights.

'You're the next CEO of Niwa.Inc…'

'Yes…?'

'You're the next CEO of _Niwa.Inc_…'

'Yes…'

'You're the next CEO of _Niwa.Inc_!'

Without another word, she bolted into the sanctuary of the kitchen again.

Daisuke leant back on her sofa and sighed for the entire world to hear.

Women.

-/-

_I have the next CEO of Niwa.Inc sitting on my sofa! _

_And he wants to hire me! _

Riku was about to go into a mental meltdown. She knew she was acting ditzy, she actually repeated a sentence to him three times, something only her sister would do on a daily basis but Riku only tapped into her missing bimbo when she was confused, shocked, sleepy or a combination of all three.

Today qualified as the last condition. And she just showed her most _stupid_, possibly even worst side of her very diverse character to her potential boss.

Riku wanted to cry again.

Okay, she told herself. She was twenty-three. She was a decent woman, she had a job and she loved her job, and she was being offered another one – a completely wonderful job of her dreams which made it all the less practical – for Riku was a very practical woman indeed, and she was not going to drop everything just because some guy from Niwa. Corp wanted to hire her.

Right. She was sensible and practical. She was in control.

Right.

She was in control.

Right. Another deep breath. In control.

She walked out of the kitchen. She was calm, cool and confident. She was not paying attention to his clothes, or his eyes. She was Riku Harada, and she was twenty-three. She was in the prime of her life.

'So, Mr. Niwa? When can I start?'

-/-

Once again, the months flew by. This could be signified with the errant flipping of pages, becoming faster and faster, before landing up on a particular date. There was actually no significance for this, other than the procrastinating author trying to take up some space, but a sense of time passing _had_ to be impressed upon the reader.

It was almost eleven in the night when Daisuke Niwa pushed his chair back from his desk, dusted his hands in a self-satisfied manner and stood up. It had been a most fulfilling day today. Indeed, he had not been wrong when Riku Harada almost self-conscientiously dragged him over to his office to get her resume and official documents recognised. She didn't seem to mind that she was gripping his wrist rather tightly when she pulled him over to his office after getting out of his car (for she had insisted upon getting them finalised on the very day that they had meant – just to make sure that, you know, it wasn't a dream and all) and when she pulled him into the lift. She had the most curious expression on her face – it was determined and set but there was almost a desperate quality to it, like she was a child that had been denied cookies all her life and now when some benevolent man offered her just a crumb, she grabbed it and held on for her life's worth.

It was terrifying, seeing that aura of such feeling radiate off from her.

He felt his wrist appreciatively. Until now, he still could remember how smooth her skin was, and how tightly she had gripped his hand. His eyes softened.

No wonder Dark wanted his help, she was terrifyingly attractive, this woman. She made him want to let her take the reins of whatever she was doing now, yet she seemed so vulnerable, so much like a child, that it made him want to protect her.

Dark Mousy _did_ deliver.

He smiled to himself, ruffled his hair when he yawned, and strolled out of his office, switching the lights off as he did so.

He hummed as he took the lift down from the highest floor, down to the ground floor, passing a section of the ground floor offices where he knew a light would still be on. It had curiously, become a habit of his to just glance surreptitiously at that corner of the floor – to just look and hope, and most definitely see a light at that corner.

It had been her idea. She was to be a designer for them, but only he and the other higher-ups would know. She would just come in, as a clerk because Riku couldn't stand not having anything to do for the company, even if she was designing for them.

'But I still want to keep my hands busy!'

'You will be, by designing for us?'

'But it doesn't seem enough! So I want to be a clerk or something, someone at a desk job, that I may meet other people who work here, in advertising, or whatever… just put me as a normal person!'

'Erm… I think that can be arranged… we always need little clerks. But I'll make sure you get a lesser load than others, right?'

'Don't do that… I work better under pressure. Then again, give me about three-quarters of what you usually send to clerks.'

'Three-quarters? How about half?'

'Three-quarters. I'm not a complete slacker, you know.'

And hence, it was decided that she would be a clerk – that she would come in at eight in the morning every day and file her share of work, before working on her designs. Daisuke secretly made sure that she had a distinctively quieter corner of the floor plan, and pushed up her beginning salary.

However, Riku was not so stupid. She found him after she had received her first month's pay and dangled the cheque in front of him.

'A few thousand? A clerk isn't worth that much right?'

'Well, you are designing…'

'But I haven't come up with any designs yet!'

Daisuke swallowed inwardly but recovered magnificently. 'Of course, when you've seen the pay you get when you're not designing… think, how much would we pay you if you did?'

Riku's firm line of a mouth had become a rather adorable 'O' after that statement and she had turned red and hastily shown herself out of the office and had not complained of her pay ever since. Daisuke was just grateful that he had paid attention to Dark's numerous monologues when the cousin of violet colouration had suddenly decided to impress upon his younger cousin the Art of Wooing Girls. It came in handy every now and then, coupled with his adorable looks and particularly when he had to deal with raging females.

Tonight, Daisuke looked at little corner again and smiled.

As sure as the compass needle which pointed north, there was a tiny light at a desk at the corner. Shaking his head gently, he grinned as he walked over slowly to the little light. As he came closer, he could see that she was concentrating very intently on a piece of paper. Her copper hair was slightly frazzled; she had found a band of sorts to keep the more irritating strands out of the way, making her resemble a slightly disgruntled peacock. And as she continued glaring at that piece of paper, he cautiously peeked over her shoulder.

'Go away.'

He nearly jumped; she sounded so hoarse and curt that he almost complied. Then he laughed to himself again; Riku was like that whenever she was in her designing mood – she could look so furiously intent on whatever she was doing yet be so attuned to her surroundings that she could aim her pencil directly for his midriff, earning him a painful poke whenever she felt he drew too close to her.

'It's late. Have you eaten?' Nine times out of ten…

'No. I said, go away.'

'Aren't you hungry?'

'No.'

'I _am_ going to lock up, you know. You're going to have to leave, I'm sorry to say.'

'Go eat your supper then come back.'

'Ms. Harada!'

She ignored him. Daisuke sighed, resigned himself to the worst and pulled the plug of the little light.

'Hey!'

'You'll have to leave, Ms. Harada!'

'You jerk! Switch the light back on!'

'It's almost midnight, Ms. Harada. You're going to miss the last train.'

'… Damn!'

That always got her. Then she would be out of the desk in a flash, and her dust would be settling at the front door.

He checked the rooms and the area, making sure that everyone had left and everything had been switched off and walked out the front door as well, turning to lock them. He walked to his car and started the engine. He had just driven out of the carpark gate with a wave at the security guard who watched at the premises at night when he spotted a rather sad familiar little figure standing by the empty road.

He smiled as he pulled over in front of her and wound down his window.

'Ms. Harada, why don't you come into my car, and I'll fetch you home?'

Riku gave him a slightly affronted look. It wasn't everyday that your boss would offer to take you home.

'I won't bite you know…'

Riku stuck her tongue out and continued standing by the road, peering over the car and into the darkness. Daisuke turned and looked as well, curious as to what she was looking at.

After a while, 'Ms. Harada, what are you looking for?'

Riku blew the hair from her face. 'A taxi.'

Daisuke gave a low whistle. 'Are you currently successful?'

Riku glared at him, contemplating kicking the car wheel. 'I know what sarcasm is.'

'Then get into the car. You won't be getting a taxi here for hours.'

Riku scrunched up her face in disappointment. Then she contemplated her choices.

She could go into the car with the cute boss (she was Riku but still a woman) and probably get a nice meal out of the bargain. Then she would never be able to live with herself for displaying such weakness. Or she could ignore him completely, and continue waiting for a taxi until three hours later, and keep her pride.

Choices, choices…

However, she had not thought that Daisuke, though mild mannered and a complete gentleman, _did_ have Dark Mousy as a cousin. In fact, Riku had completely forgotten what happened on her birthday. In the future when Riku looked back, Risa would attribute the memory loss to brain shock, and laugh appreciatively.

Thus Daisuke gave up, leant towards the left, opened the door and pulled Riku Harada into his car.

'Six words for you, Ms. Harada. Supper is served. And no buts.'

-/-

Much to her disappointment, Daisuke did not take her to any fancy restaurant. She would not have expected it from him, as it was close to one in the morning before they had reached to any consensus about why Riku had to go with him for supper in the first place. (Riku Harada could be hungry, tired and mentally exhausted but an argument would always wake her up.) Then she had settled down in grudging silence as he drove her towards a place he claimed had 'great food 24/7'. Of course, that would have warned her that wherever he was bringing her to would not necessarily be high-end but she at least hoped for him to bring her into those cozy little restaurants in all the trashy romantic novels that she had been reading since her university days.

Thus she was in for a little shock when the current CEO-in-training of Niwa. Inc pulled up near an isolated alleyway and dragged her through it, into what she first thought was a fish market. Then it slowly became clear to her that she had been pulled into a tiny street full of hawkers displaying their wares - be it food, trinkets or any other piece of item which could be taken and sold for using a loud voice.

Slowly she became used to the sound as Daisuke continued walking ahead in front of her and began observing her surroundings. One thing which she could not get over was the fact that the entire street looked so glaringly bright at so late an hour. And it was so _busy_ – exactly like how a normal shopping street would look during the holiday season only it was in the wee hours of the morning.

'I came here all the time when I was younger,' Daisuke said over his shoulder as he pushed through the buzzing crowd. 'Don't get lost,' he added as he vanished for a breathless second behind an annoyed looking head. 'I got lost here once; a nightmare, honestly.'

Riku did not reply; she was too overwhelmed by the sight and sound of everything. How come she didn't know that such a place existed? She was also gradually aware of the heat that she was feeling, generated by the people and the intensity of the lights and almost breathed a sigh of relief when Daisuke's hand shot out from the midst of the crowd and pulled her out of the slow moving river of people. She felt drained – as though the crowd sucked the life out of her.

She yawned.

Daisuke laughed; a pleasant sound within the mass of noises. She felt her mouth lift at the edges. He had such an infectious and warm smile. 'Come, let's eat. They serve the best beef noodles here.'

A while later, Riku and Daisuke were happily tucking into a large bowl of the best steaming hot beef noodles each that Riku had ever tasted. They did not talk much; half of what little conversation they had was spent complimenting the food and the other half about work. Halfway through the meal, Daisuke swallowed his mouthful of noodles, coughed slightly, and cleared his throat.

'Oh! Yes! I was supposed to give this to you.'

He turned, reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of glossy tickets with a flourish. Riku, fully aroused with curiosity now, put down her chopsticks and took the pieces of paper. Reading what was on them, her eyes grew large.

'Tickets to the next _Fashionistic!_ Autumn Collection! Niwa-kun! How expensive were they?'

Daisuke shrugged and pointed to the small print at the bottom of the ticket. Written in a flourished script were the words: _Proudly sponsored by Niwa. Inc. _

Riku only said, 'Oh' in a very small voice and busied with her supper again.

'Thanks,' she murmured. Daisuke picked up his chopsticks again.

'Don't thank me. This is to help you get some inspiration perhaps, or see what's in the rage now and tap into it.' He smiled genially as he explained. Riku smiled back gratefully.

She was just about to eat a rather delectable piece of beef when Daisuke suddenly asked a question.

'So, who are you bringing along with you?'

Riku's piece of beef stopped its inevitable path towards her mouth. The beef sighed in relief as Riku placed it back down delicately.

'I don't know… you? Since you did give them to me…'

Daisuke laughed and popped a piece of beef into his mouth. 'Harada-san…' he said slowly, marvelling inwardly at her innocence, 'Who are you talking to?'

Riku tilted her head and frowned. Was Daisuke stupid? 'You, Niwa Daisuke.'

'And what do I do?'

Riku frowned. 'I don't know. You're the next Chief Executive Officer of Niwa. Inc. Am I supposed to know what you…'

She went as scarlet as a tomato when she realised what she just said. 'Oh.'   
Daisuke grinned. 'So, I ask again, who are you taking?'

Riku shrugged. 'Risa, I guess?'

Daisuke chewed on his piece of meat slowly. 'Hmmm… She wouldn't be Risa Hiwatari now, would she?'

Riku bit off a mouthful of noodles and nodded before swallowing. 'Yeah, she's my sister and she married him last year.'

Daisuke gave a low whistle and grinned again. 'You _do_ have great contacts… Then again, if she was Mrs. Hiwatari, maybe she wouldn't need your tickets.'

In her mind, Riku's shoulders sagged. 'Oh. Yeah. She wouldn't.' She continued to eat her noodles quietly.

Daisuke noticed her sudden silence and tilted his head slightly in concern. 'Are you alright?'

Riku nodded and smiled briefly. 'Yeah! I am… just thinking of who to bring… I can't really think of anyone else who would be interested in fashion, other than my sister…'

Daisuke flushed. He hadn't really meant to put Riku's suggestion down like that. 'Tell you what, why don't you just ask your sister? Maybe she'll want to go with you? She's your sister after all.'

Riku thought about it and shrugged. 'Perhaps. I'll ask her tomorrow then.'

Daisuke picked up the last piece of beef and swallowed it with relish. 'Are you done? Let's get you home then.'

-/-

'Tomorrow' happened to be a Saturday. Thus, Riku sat up in her tiny apartment, safe and snug in her bed when she noticed the two tickets that she had pinned on the board near her table, which she knew was the first thing she would see.

She peered curiously at the tickets before remembering how she got them suddenly.

The supper, it was really late and she fell asleep in the car on the trip back right…?

Whatever, her mind thought. The glossy tickets were screaming at her. _Call Risa! _

Oh yeah…

She picked up her cellphone and flipped it open absentmindedly. She flopped back onto the bed as her fingers automatically found Risa's number in her rather short list of contacts and she placed the phone on her ear as she yawned, tousled hair and all.

A jarringly high pitched voice could be heard on the phone a short while later. 'Good _morning_ Riku!' Risa exclaimed. And she meant it.

'Hi Risa… just wanted to know if you wanted to go to _Fashionistic_'s Autumn Collec-'

Riku hadn't even finished her sentence when Risa's squeal interrupted her.

'Oh my God! _Really_! Riku! You got the tickets?'

'Ears… and yes.'

'Sorry, dear… but you DID! Say you did!'

'I did.'

The squealing continued on for about three more minutes. Riku had slammed the phone into her pillow and was almost on the verge of dozing off when she heard that the squealing had stopped.

'Hello? Riku dear?'

'Yeah… I'm here. But I don't get it. I thought Satoshi would get them for you?'

Risa snorted. 'The selfish brat wouldn't even let me think of buying them. I think that's one of his worst points ever. I mean, come on! It's our first year of marriage! He's supposed to _pamper_ me! The torturing can come later!'

Riku rolled her eyes. 'Come on, haven't you heard? It's usually the wife that governs the husband in the later years!'

Riku could feel Risa's eyes growing round. 'Ooh! Really!'

'You mean you _didn't_ know?'

'Err well... it's not really that important right? And besides, it's not very nice to govern Satoshi… and you've seen him before… can he be _governed_ in the first place?'

Riku smiled. What power her sister held and yet she did not know it…

'Oh, Risa. No wonder Satoshi married you.'

'Because I can't govern him? I'm hurt Riku!'

'No dear… it's because… well, you're you. And I think he likes it that way. He likes it a lot.'

'Oh.' Riku smiled again as she felt the waves of acute embarrassment radiate from the phone. 'Huh? Oh, bye dear… have a nice day!'

There was the soft sound of a kiss being made. Riku blinked.

'That was…?'

'Oh couldn't you tell? That was Satoshi! Hey, Satoshi, say hi to Riku!'

Before Riku knew it, her brother-in-law had his ear on the phone and had said, 'Hello, Riku.'

'Erm, hi.'

'I heard what you said just now.'

_Damn_. 'Oh… really?'

'Yes. Pretty accurate, I must say. And don't give Risa any ideas.'

'Ah… okay. Have a nice day.'

'You too. Funny how they can look so alike but sound so different…' Satoshi mused absentmindedly as he passed the phone back to his wife.

Risa put the phone to her ear to hear Riku exclaim, 'Hey! What did that mean?'

'He's gone. So how was he Riku? Wasn't he nice?'

'Chilly, more like.'

'Don't worry; this is how he usually sounds like around people.'

'How'd he hear what I was saying?'

'We were having breakfast dear; I didn't want my phone to get dirty when I was eating that lovely croissant so I used the loudspeaker function on my phone. Satoshi was just facing me, reading the paper. He looked at me when we were talking about the governing part and put it down when you said that…'

'You were you. And he liked it that way.' Riku finished.

'… Yeah.'

Riku laughed. 'He didn't mind it at all when you called him a selfish brat?'

'I call him that all the time.'

'And he doesn't mind it?' Riku asked again. Risa _really_ didn't know the power she had over that ice king now did she…

'No… why should he? He's really one anyway.'

'I see. Anyway, the fashion show is next Friday night, at seven in the evening. We'll meet up at-' Risa interrupted her again.

'Oh, nonsense dear! You'll be coming over to my house in the morning. We _have_ to decide what to wear! Take a day off from work.'

Riku blinked again. 'What? I can't do that!'

'Yes, you can.'

'No!'

'Why not? Your boss's too cute?'

'Risa!' Riku exclaimed, flushing brilliantly. She was regretting ever having told Risa about her new job and the rather endearing boss that came along with it.

'Ah… see, you're blushing,' Risa nodded knowledgeably.

'I'm not! You can't even see me!'

'Ah ha!' Risa pounced.

'Risa!'

'Anyway, we might be seeing _Fashionistic_'s editor there. Therefore we must dress well indeed.'

'The editor? Who's she?' Riku asked.

'_Fashionistic_'s editor, might I remind you again Riku, is a man,' Risa smirked.

'Really?' Riku could not believe it. The most popular fashion magazine… under the guidance of a man?

'And I heard he's fantastic and really good with his clothing and style. So knowing him might be good for you Riku. I know you steal all my _Fashionistic! _magazines when you think I'm done with them…'

'I do not.'

'Oh, yeah, now you don't. You buy your own. You used to do it all the time though. Funny how you didn't know that the editor was a man… You really aren't very observant, Riku…'

'What's his name anyway?'

'Dor Kaysum.'

'What a weird name…'

'Yeah, many people don't think it's his real name.'

'Well, duh! It doesn't even sound nice. I mean, if you shifted the letters a little, he'll be a dork!'

''Ku. That was not funny.'

'And he sounds like he belongs to an asylum anyway… but then again, he sounds like calcium. So I shall not say anymore but grin at the sheer possibilities of his name.'

'Riku. You were insulting the editor of the magazine that I, happen to worship!'

'Yeah, Risa, I know. That's why I'm being particularly vicious.'

'Riku!'

'Okay, fine… I'm sorry. So we shall meet-'

'At my house, at nine in the morning.'

'What? Risa! I told you-'

'Tell your boss that…' Risa paused for effect. 'Actually, you don't need to tell him anything. I'm sure he'll understand.'

'Risa… why are you acting like that?'

'Well… the nose knows, dear.'

'What nose?'

'Nothing…'

'You're being cryptic again!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heka: I am so mean! Another cliffhanger!

Shigure: I understand you're typing this in the midst of your examinations?

Dark: Yeah. And I didn't appear here at all!

Shigure: You didn't appear at the third chapter too.

Dark: I did! She woke up with me.

Heka: Gods, you make that sound so wrong…

Dark: But I _like_ her waking up next to me.

Heka: Enough! Yeah, I decided to leave it here for now, as I wanted to pull this story longer a bit, and let you guess who Dor Kaysum is!

Shigure: It's so obvious, they ALL know…

Heka: Actually, he gave you a clue already. And so did Riku, in the story… She said that one line, which may help you guess who he is.

Dark: And tell me what that entire ridiculous part with Satoshi was about. This story is about whom, pray tell?

Heka: But I _like_ Satoshi's voice… his seiyuu is super nice. He did Hakkai from Saiyuki too! I love Hakkai… Besides, I like the relationship between Satoshi and Risa, it's very promising.

Shigure: Ah see, the eye knows all.

Dark: Now you're being cryptic!

Heka: Cryptic, we like being. Please review and you'll get a cookie! Satoshi's voice is sexy! Who agrees with me?


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